Center for Community Solutions explores health and social indicators in Cleveland, Cuyahoga County

The Center for Community Solutions, a local nonpartisan think tank, recently released profiles examining demographic, health and social indicators in districts in Cuyahoga County and the city of Cleveland.

The Cuyahoga County Council District Profiles and the Cleveland Ward Profiles include basic demographic information and data on employment and income, poverty, education, housing and health.

• In Wards 2, 1, 14 and 12, more than 65% of households who rent live in housing that is unaffordable to them.

• The rate of people without health insurance coverage has dropped "significantly" since the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, but over 61,000 Clevelanders still lack coverage. Some wards have uninsured rates above 15%.

• The U.S. Department of Defense has awarded a $1.8 million grant to a team of researchers at Case Western Reserve University and other institutions. The three-year grant supports the development of an implantable muscle stimulator for preventing pressure ulcers and deep tissue injuries to the buttocks, which are serious medical conditions caused by lying or sitting in one place for long periods of time and can lead to severe pain and infection, or even death, according to a news release.

• Dr. Jonathan Lass, of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, led national research that found that corneal donor tissue can be safely stored for 11 days before transplantation surgery, four days longer than the current conventional maximum in the United States. Transplantation surgery can help correct eye problems in people with diseases of the cornea. The discovery will help meet the expected future demand for corneas in the United States and beyond, Lass said in a news release.

• Cleveland Clinic researchers found that about 30% of retired National Football League (NFL) players have significantly larger aortas when compared to men in the general population. Enlarged aortas are a known risk factor for life-threatening aortic dissections or aortic ruptures, according to a news release. Researchers don't yet know the clinical significance of their findings among NFL players and said the findings will require further evaluation.